One of WA’s most notorious paedophiles will likely be released back into the community in a matter of weeks, despite two of his victims’ grieving mother urging authorities to keep him behind bars and “throw away the key.”
Dennis John McKenna was jailed in July 2011 after he was convicted of sexually abusing 29 boys whilst working as the hostel warden at the Katanning Residential College in the 1970s and 80s.
The 81-year-old will likely be released from prison on November 17 after serving his 15.5-year sentence, despite being denied parole in October 2024.
On Friday, State prosecutor Brett Tooker told the WA Supreme Court that McKenna should be declared a high-risk serious offender for up to four years upon release and until he was “physically or cognitively incapable of committing any serious offence.”
He said that McKenna had proven to have a “chronicity” for sexual violence and demonstrated “extreme minimisation” towards his offending.
“Mr McKenna presents with multiple distortions that support or condone sexual violence, being that he engages in victim blaming (and) exhibits beliefs about mutuality. He has distorted views about consent in terms of sexual activity with children,” he said.
“If no restriction order is put in place, then the community faces the prospect of him being released without appropriate monitoring or supervision.
“We cannot assume just because of how notorious Mr McKenna is in a courtroom or a certain part of the community, that everyone will know who he is just by looking at him.
“There are 29 known victims of Mr McKenna’s conduct . . . the community cannot tolerate the risk that this might happen again.”
The court previously heard from expert witnesses, including Dr Peter Wynn Owen who said McKenna had a “sexual interest in peri-pubescent boys aged 13 to 14.”
Defence lawyer Joel Grinceri agreed that McKenna should be declared a high-risk serious offender, and said his client “welcomed” the proposed orders.
He said that McKenna committed his last offence about 35 years ago and had previously proven he could comply with court orders.
“It’s his preference that he be released with strict conditions . . . that’s not because he feels like he can’t re-offend in the community, but it’s because he’s acutely aware of his notoriety and that he’s despised by many sections of the community,” he said.
“He sees these as serving a dual purpose: one as protecting the community, and secondly as protecting himself, and he particularly welcomes the ankle monitoring.
“Mr McKenna has told himself that (with) his advanced age, he’s acutely aware that life is finite and that if he doesn’t comply with these conditions . . . he risks spending the remainder of his days in prison.”
Speaking outside court, Kaye Anderson — the mother of two now-deceased victims of McKenna — said McKenna should remain locked up indefinitely, and that she was “sickened” by the thought of her sons’ abuser being released from prison.
“All of those kids that abused were given life sentences, and some of those kids got death sentences, and I believe McKenna should remain behind bars for life,” she said.
“All paedophiles that inflict on our kids should receive life sentences, and I think our government needs to stand up and change these laws, because until they do, we’re going to see kids abused every day.”
In 2010, Ms Anderson confronted McKenna outside court after he was released on bail, telling him: “I hope you rot in hell.”
When asked on Friday what she would say to McKenna if she could speak to him again, she replied: “I don’t think I’d waste my breathe on him because to me he’s not a human being, he’s scum.”
“He’s failed to acknowledge the damage he’s done to hundreds of kids and their families, he’s cost the State Government millions of dollars in court trials, compensations to the kids (and) ongoing court cases,” she said.
“Now we’re going to have to look at having him monitored the whole time he’s out of jail, why not just leave him in there and throw away the key?”
Whistleblower Maggie Dawkins agreed that McKenna should be “indefinitely detained.”
“Just because he’s 81 now, it doesn’t mean that he won’t have an urge to offend or re-offend again,” she said.
Justice Marcus Solomon will hand down his decision on November 4.
McKenna was first jailed for six years and nine months over sex crimes in 1991, but was released on parole after just one year and 10 months.